Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Going Bangkok??? Think... again!

This morning (26 Nov 08) when I just woke up, I heard from one of the radio station about the news that Bangkok's Airport been shut down.. Since some of my friends are planning to go there next week, I just would like to share about this news... please consider and think careful during if you really want to go to Bangkok during this period of time... God be with you!.

Some information from the internet:If you are flying out of Bangkok, beware that anti-government demonstrators swarmed Suvarnabhumi International Airport and halted departing flights today at Thailand’s primary airport, the Associated Press reports.“For the safety of passengers, we have to stop flights out of the airport temporarily until the situation returns to normal,” airport manager Serirat Prasutanon said in a statement to the AP. He noted that incoming flights were still operating.Demonstrators, identified as the People’s Alliance for Democracy, are seeking the resignation of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat and his cabinet. Taken from: http://travel.latimes.com/daily-deal-blog/index.php/bangkok-airport-prot-3351/

Airport director Saereerat Prasutanont added that 78 outbound and incoming flights have been affected.Bangkok's international airport was closed earlier after anti-government protesters surged into the main terminal building.The operator, Airports of Thailand, said they had shut down Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport indefinitely.A spokesman said:"We have already informed the airlines who operate from it."Flights in the air will be diverted to either Chiang Mai, Phuket or other airports, but it closed as of 9pm (2pm GMT)."British Airways told Sky News that all flights scheduled to land at the airport have cancelled or diverted.Those flights that would have stopped in Bangkok en route to other destinations have been diverted to Singapore.A BA spokesman said the decision was regrettable, but the deteriorating situation in Thailand had left them with little choice.At least 2,000 supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) had surrounded the airport as part of their six-month campaign to oust the government.

Police Colonel Theeradej Chanurak, a senior police official responsible for the airport, confirmed that protesters then entered the terminal.He said:"Some of the protesters have entered the terminal buildings."They walked towards it while police tried to stop them but could not do anything as police have received orders not to use any force."The airport closure comes after PAD demonstrators earlier opened fire on government supporters, injuring at least 11 people.At least two security guards fired half a dozen rounds from handguns at rival protesters.Thai public broadcaster TPBS aired footage of the incident, which happened as PAD supporters blockaded a highway leading to Bangkok's old airport.Fighting between the two groups started when government supporters threw rocks at a truck carrying their rivals as it was returning from a rally at the airport.The airport has served as temporary government headquarters since the alliance occupied the prime ministers' office in late August."It is time to make a clear-cut choice between good and evil, between those who are loyal and traitors," PAD leader Somsak Kosaisuk told supporters at the rally.The PAD opposes the current government because it considers it to be a puppet of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in 2006.Copied from: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Thailand-Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi-International-Airport-Closed-After-Protesters-Storm-Terminal/Article/200811415161144?lpos=World_News_News_Your_Way_Region_7&lid=NewsYourWay_ARTICLE_15161144_Thailand%3A_Bangkok_Suvarnabhumi_International_Airport_Closed_After_Protesters_Storm_Terminal